Propeller control.



J. A. HORNE.

PROPELLER CONTROL.

APPILICA'HON FILED JULY 3!, m1.

Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

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J. A. HORNE.

PROPELLER CONTROL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3!.191'7.

1,293,097, Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

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JAMES A. HOME, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROPELLER CONTROL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

Application filed July 31, 1917. Serial No. 183,703.

To all whom it may concern: Be it lmown that I, JAMES A. HORNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Propeller Controls, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in propeller mechanismsand more particularly in propeller mechanls'ms for use on aeroplanes although the same mechanism may with slight modifications be employed as a propeller for water craft or as a fan or blower.

One of the primary objects of my invention is the provision of a propeller mechanism in the form of ropeller buckets rotatable about a drive shaft. together with means controlling turning of the buckets so that during their rotation about the drive shaft their open faces will at all times lie in one or the other of a series of parallel planes.

In a co-pending application for an aeroplane filed by me April 26, 1917 and bearing the Serial Number 164,697 I have disclosed a novel form of aeroplane equipped with a propeller mechanism greatly similar to this. Another object of this invention, however, as distinguished from that in the application above referred to, is the provision of cam actuated means for controlling the turning of the propeller buckets.

With these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form a part of this application.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation of the main frame of an aeroplane showing my improved propeller mechanism thereon;

'Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional View taken longitudinally of the main drive shaft showing certain controlling clutches employed;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, the supporting frame and pI'O- peller buckets being omitted to permit a clearer disclosure;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 44 V of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is aview corresponding to Fig. 3 illustrating a modified form of construction.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

As the aeroplane itself forms no part of my present invention, being shown only that the location and operation of the propellers maybe readily comprehended, and is fully disclosed in my above-identified application, it will be only briefly described. It includes a frame 10 having vertical and horizontal braces 11 and 12 which carry hubs 13.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that the vertical braces 11 of the frame are spaced and that the two inner braces are formed with bearings 22 journaling a drive shaft 23. This drive shaft, as best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, includes terminal sections 24 and 25 which are journaled in these bearings and an intermediate section 26 having reduced terminals journaled in sockets 28 formed in the opposed ends of the terminal sections 24 and 25 so that all of the sections are sup ported by the bearings and held in alinement with each other although free for independent turning movement. A sprocket wheel 29 is keyed as shown at 30 to the intermediate shaft section 26 and a chain 31 is trained about this sprocket wheel and extends to any suitable source of energy. The opposite faces of the sprocket wheel 30 are recessed to receive the friction rings or clutches 34 and 35 which are slidably keyed to the adjacent ends of the terminal sections 24 and 25 of the shaft 23. Helical springs 86 engage between stop collars 37 which are fixed to the terminal shaft sections and the hubs of the clutches to normally hold both clutches in active position. The hubs of the clutches are grooved to receive the bifurcated terminals of shipper levers 38 and 39 which are pivoted upon brackets 40 carried by the frame. Spaced brackets 41 have bearings 42 for a rotatable and reciprocally mounted controlling column 43 which carries an arouate arm 44 disposedso that turning of the column in one direction will cause it to engage one lever and throw out the correlated clutch while turning of the controlling column in the opposite direction will let in the first clutch and act through the other lever to throw out the other clutch. These parts engages between one bearing and the arcuate member 4A to hold the column with a stop collar 4:7 in engagement with one of the brackets. The controlling cOlumn can, how ever, be moved longitudinally against the action of this spring to cause the arcuate member to simultaneously engage both levers to throw out both clutches. Obviously, by this arrangement power may be transmitted from the. engine to the intermediate shaft section without imparting any power to the terminal sections or by proper adjustment of the clutches power may be simultaneously imparted to both terminal sections or may be selectively imparted to either terminal section.

The hubs 13 at the intersection of the transverse braces with the two adjacent vertical braces at one side of the frame journal a propellershaft 48 while corresponding hubs at the opposite side journal a propeller shaft 19. Spur gears 50 fixed to the inner ends of the respective propeller shafts mesh with spur gears 51 fixed to the adjacent outer ends of the terminal sections of the shaft 23.

Fixed upon each of the propeller shafts adjacent each end are hubs 52 having diametrically extending arms 58 in the ends of which are journaled pivot shafts 5st of propeller buckets 55. By this means a pair of propeller buckets is mounted at either side of the machine in such a manner that each air of buckets will be turned about its propeller shaft as a whole by turning of the propeller shaft, while each bucket is free for turning movement about its particular pivot shaft 54.

My present invention relates more particularly to a novel means for controlling and causing turning of the propeller buckets about their pivot shafts in such a manner that their open faces will always be disposed in a series of parallel planes and in such a manner as to permit adjustment to vary the inclination of the planes in which such faces will be disposed.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 3,

and 4c of the drawings, eccentric cams 56 are secured by keys 57 or other suitable means to the inner ends of the pivot shafts 54 of the buckets, while a corresponding eccentric cam 58-is loosely mounted upon each of the propeller shafts. Eccentric straps 59 surround the eccentric cams or disks 56 and eccentric straps 60 surround the eccentric disks 58. Diametrically extending arms 61 connect eacheceentric strap 60 with the adjacent eccentric straps 59 so that the eccentric straps and arms move as a unit. The eccentric straps and cam faces of the eccentries are formed to provide raceways, for ball-bearings 62 so that the eccentrics may turn as freely as possible, this construction being shown in Fig. 4. A pivot pin 63 extends from the inner face of each of the eccentrics 58 and links 6% are connected to these pins and provided with handles 65 which are located near the control column 13. The links Glaare formed with a series of openings 66 in order that they may be selectively engaged upon pins 67 carried by one of the brackets 41. By this means the eccentrics 58, which are freely mounted uponthe propeller shafts, may be manually turned to any desired position.

Inoperation when the propeller shafts are driven the frames formed by the arms 58 and pivot shafts 5a are revolved so that each pair of buckets revolves about'its propeller shaft. Inasmuch as the eccentrics 58 are held stationary while their eccentric straps and arms 61 turn about them such armswill as a result be reciprocatedto. cause corre sponding turning of the eccentrics. 56 so. that the pivot shafts 54 will be turned to such an extent that the buckets will always remain with their open faces at the same angle to the vertical for which theyare set. Normally the buckets will be adjusted to keep;

their open faces in a vertical plane but, by turning the eccentrics 58 by means of the links 64 theseccentric mechanisms may be soadjusted as to tilt the buckets to any desired angle and cause them to remain at such angle during operation of the propellers.

Obviously, by providing the hubs 52 with additional radially extending arms carrying pivot shafts and buckets the number of buckets forming each propeller may be increased. For instance, in Fig. 5 I have illustrated a propeller shaft 68 upon which is loosely mounted an eccentric 69 surrounded by an eccentric strap 7 0. having three radially extending equally spaced arms 71 provided at their free ends with eccentric straps 7 2. These eccentric straps 72 engage about eccentrics 73 fixed on pivot shafts 7 4:. These pivot shafts will, of course, be journaled in suitable arms extending from and fixed to the propeller shaft and will each carry a propeller bucket,

In view of the above modification it will, of course, be apparent thatI do not restrict myself to the specific details of construction illustrated and described but may make any changes within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a propeller, a propeller shaft, hubs fixed to the shafts, a plurality of arms ex tending radially from thehubs, pivot shafts journaled in the ends of the. arms, propeller buckets fixed to the pivot shafts, means controlled by rotation of the propellen shaft to revolve the arms and buckets thereabout for causing turning of the pivot shafts whereby the open faces of all the buckets will at all,

times be maintained in the same direction, said latter means including an eccentric loose on the propeller shaft, corresponding eccentrics fixed to the pivot shafts, eccentric straps about all of the eccentrics, and rigid connection between the eccentric straps of the pivot eccentrics and that of the propeller shaft eccentrics.

2. In a propeller, a propeller shaft, pivot shafts supported by the propeller shafts to turn thereabout and in parallel spaced relation thereto, propeller buckets fixed on the pivot shafts, eccentrics mounted upon all of the shafts, that eccentric upon the propeller shaft being loose thereon and the other eccentric being fixed to their shafts, eccentric straps to all their eccentrics, rigid connection between the eccentric straps of the eccentrics on the pivot shafts and the eccentric strap of the eccentric on the propeller shaft, and manual means for adjustably turning the eccentric on the propeller shaft.

3. In a propeller, a propeller shaft, pivot shafts supported by the propeller shafts to turn thereabout and in parallel spaced relation thereto, propeller buckets fixed on the pivot shafts, eccentrics mounted upon all of the shafts, that eccentric upon the propeller shaft being loose thereon and the other eccentric being fixed to their shafts, eccentric straps to all the eccentrics, rigid connection between the eccentric straps of the eccentrics on the pivot shafts and the eccentric strap of the eccentrics 011 the propeller shaft, a pin extending from the eccentric on the propeller shaft, a manually operable drag link having pivot connection with the pin at one end and a series of openings along its length, and a fixed stud adapted to engage in any one of the openings to hold the link in eccentric adjusted position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JAMES A. HORNE. [L. s.]

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

